by Kort E Patterson, Editor
Thorough Thinker's
Thoughtful Theorems
(or Th4's)
Got opinions? Want to share them with the world? A new project was promoted by three region 1 members at the AGA that could be very interesting and make Intertel a household name - or at least better known than it is now. The proposal is to start a column that will first be tested in Integra, and if successful, Intertel can market for national syndication in daily newspapers. The title for the column will be "Views From The Top".
The idea is to pose questions to Intertel members who will respond by email with a yes or no answer and/or an opinion in 100 words or less. The job of collecting the responses and writing the column will be shared by the ranks of Intertel's best (or at least most willing) writers so that each will only have to deal with one to four columns per year. The column writer will develop a paragraph or two of background information relating to the question, tabulate the yes and no answers, and then pick a couple of opinions to illustrate the differing perspectives of the responders. And no, the column writer won't get to "correct" the flawed opinions of the responders, only report the results...
There are three different ways to participate in this project. If you have an email account, or know someone who will let you use theirs, you can be a responder. Since the opinions of the responders will be the engine that makes this project work, responders are easily the most important participants. Of course, to be a responder you do need to have opinions and a willingness to share them with the rest of the world. Nearly all of the Illian's I've met easily qualify as responders - even if their opinions don't always agree with mine!
The project will also need people to write the columns. This should appeal to those who like to write, or who've always had a secret desire to play ace reporter rushing to get a late breaking story out in time to make the deadline for the next edition. Best of all, as a "Views From The Top" writer/reporter you won't have to work your way up to the city desk by slaving away for years in the back room writing obituaries and chronicling the goings on of the snooty set. All you have to do is volunteer - and then deliver the goods!
The project will also need a steady supply of questions. The better the questions, the more interesting and successful the column will be. The question bank will always be in need of interesting and/or intriguing issues to consider. Make a list of all the questions you can think of and send them in.
Here are several sample questions that have been suggested so far:
1. Are gender roles instinctive or learned?
2. Do we have the right to stop the extinction of endangered species, and if so, how?
3. What are the disadvantages of having a high IQ?
If you find the above sort of questions intriguing, or can think of better ones, "Views From The Top" is for you!
Note that while all other transactions must be by email since they will be time-critical, contributions to the question bank can be made by snail mail. Following is the contact information for the coconspirators who suggested this project and have volunteered to ride herd on this potentially contentious commotion:
Marilyn Rothkin
878 Wallwood Drive
Copley, Ohio 44321
intertelm@aol.com
Rosemarie Patterson
Ttothe3rd@aol.com
Terry Neaville
926 Florida Ave. Apt A
Akron, OH 44314-2016
Wolfe1952@msn.com
Let them know what you think of the project and how you'd like to become involved!
